New Garden Hose Ruined My Cube

[jimi]

My standard proceedure is to rinse my cube after use and then leave it for a while with sod. perc. solution in it for a few days. Then before use I hit it with star san, simple enough, no problems. When I last filled my cube with sodi. perc. I was a bit congested with a cold and couldn't smell a thing. Now before brewing I open up this cube and am hit in the face with a plastic / petrol like smell. I go to rinse the cube out to try and get rid of the smell and notice the smell is coming from the new garden hose which I used to fill the cube. Not only is the water running through it smelling like plastic but it also has a plastic flavour!!

I rinsed the cube at least 6 times with boiling water to try and get rid of the smell, as I thought it was my only spare cube, but it didn't completely remove the smell. Fortunately I found another cube.
It was a cheap, thin hose which tended not to hold fittings and the rug rats love to jump in front of the hose so it wasn't hard to find a justification to buy a new hose of a better standard. Fitting the new, much more expensive, higher quality hose tonight and I noticed that even this hose passed on a bit of a nasty plastic smell / taste.

Anywho, while this is in part a word of warning for others I was wondering;
1) is this normal for garden hoses? Does the plastic smell pass eventually?
2) how can I get this smell out of my cube (I have star san in it at present, hoping that helps - I think it is improving)

 

[kuntushi]

1. I've always noticed that plastic smell/taste in garden hoses, new or old. Drinking from the garden hose is a child hood memory.

2. Dunno if star san will help with small, maybe a little. I had a strong IPA smell in my fermenter for a while. Left star san in, but then it just smelt like off star san and IPA. I'd just try hot water and bi carb soda, swirl it around, then rub the liquid in with a cloth. Rinse it all out with hot water. It's worked well for me getting rid of ginger and stong hops smells.

 

[bcp]

I'm not sure about getting rid of the plastic smell.

I do know that most garden hoses are PVC & have high quantities of lead. Certainly do not use them for the water you're going to brew with. The childhood memory - particularly when it came out warm at first - was us getting unhealthy doses of lead like the romans used to.

 

[Fents]

http://www.hoselink.com.au/

*EDIT - still may leech flavours, have no idea dont own one just find the ad on tv funny, who does an ad with their daughter anyway?

 

[Swinging Beef]

i love that garden hose water flavour and aroma, it reminds me of being ten years old and drinking water from anybody in the streets garden hose.

that said.. I wouldnt want it in my beer.

Im pretty sure garden hoses do not call themselves "food grade"

Perhaps there is something in that for each and every one of us.

 

[jimi]

I'm not sure about getting rid of the plastic smell.

I do know that most garden hoses are PVC & have high quantities of lead. Certainly do not use them for the water you're going to brew with. The childhood memory - particularly when it came out warm at first - was us getting unhealthy doses of lead like the romans used to.

My mistake was not seeing the connection between how 'cleaning' water could potentially pass into the 'brewing' process. Like most I understand the importance of appropriate hoses in the brewery - all my hoses are silicone in the brewery - just wasn't aware of how easily and how strongly those non food grade plastics can be passed on and into the cube and thus the brewing process.
Anyway my tale is a cautionary one for others, not so much a solution for myself. I'll be getting a short length of food grade / caravaneers hose to be exlusively used for running 'cleaning' water through. Thanks for the link Fents and PM Screwy.

 

[gunbrew]

I use a hose for all my brewing water.
Made for caravans drinking water.
Difference being it was more expensive and is a blue colour.
No plastic smell and food grade.
Get one from the hardware store and never look back.
Cheers.

 

[Barry]

I support Gunbrew. I always use food grade hoses if it has anything to do with my beer.

 

[Gout]

Like Gunbrew and Barry, i bought a blue hose for caravans and its ment for drinking water, I got it from bunnings and i dont recall it costing too much.

Grab one of these for your brewing if you need to use the water tap to fill up the brewery. I would run the water a bit before use also as sometimes i get a slight rust colour from the front tap.

I am not sure how these hold up in the sun like a garden hose would so i would save this hose just for brewing and have a garden hose for your kids etc

 

[cdbrown]

I use a normal hose from my brew water - although it goes through a 2-stage cartridge filter before hitting the HLT which does a good job of stripping out the unwanted flavours.

 

[pk.sax]

I recall, back in India when we changed out the rubber garden hose for a silicon one. (Yes, its that cheap there that its used as garden hose)... Never kinked, never went hard in the sun, never affected the water as far as I can remember and we drank a fair bit of that just mucking around watering the grass.

PS: This reminds me, I might be able to get some elcheapo from returning family if its not super heavy.

 

[Phoney]

I use garden hose water connected to my Karcher to blast the crap out of my fermenter when cleaning, but otherwise it's clean tap water all the way.

 

[globe]

What is the process about the cube for ?
im still in the process of develping an all grain
setup more than likely biab but just curious about
the cube idea?

Parko

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

soak the cube in HOT water and nappisan for e few days. this should get rid of the smell